Republican establishment beats Tea Party in Alabama runoff

Bradley Byrne and Dean Young

The big news this election night will be about Republican New Jersey Gov Chris Christie winning (as expected) re-election, Democrat Terry McAullife winning (as expected but not as big as expected) in the Virginia Governor’s race, and New York Democratic liberal Bill de Blasio getting a landslide win his campaign for New York City Mayor. But the most significant in terms of the ongoing struggle and fate of the Republican Party took place in Alabama.

And the Republican Party establishment beat the Tea Party and won:

In Alabama, the establishment won.

Bradley Byrne, a former state senator, defeated businessman Dean Young in the GOP primary runoff for Alabama’s 1st district, CNN projects.

The race, which pitted the establishment Byrne against the more conservative Young, was seen as a precursor to more intraparty fights ahead in primary elections for the 2014 mid-terms and was the first time Republican voters could weigh in on which direction they want to take their party after the partial federal government shutdown in October.

The Alabama seat came open when Republican Rep. Jo Bonner resigned in August to take a position within the University of Alabama system.

Although Tuesday’s winner will just become the Republican nominee, not the next representative to Congress, the district has not elected a Democrat since 1965 and Byrne is almost certain to win the general election.

There was little love lost between the two candidates.

Prediction: Young’s defeat will accentuate tensions between the two wings of the GOP each each will go politically hunting more than ever for the other.